Sometimes, you might wonder…am I really an engineer? Is this really what I want to do? While you ponder these serious questions, here are a few light-hearted answers. 5 “Facts” About Engineers You’re an engineer if… You answer yes to the question, “do you happen to have a flash drive/USB stick on you?” Engineers are notorious for carrying these around … Read More

I visited one of the lesser frequented beaches in the Los Angeles area last week – Hermosa Beach. Many of the beaches further north like Santa Monica, Malibu, and Venice are well-known, but they also tend to be crowded. Beaches like Huntington, Redondo, and Hermosa are beautiful too but quiet. Hermosa Beach is also known for great seafood options. However, … Read More

I visited San Francisco over Winter Break and in the second and last part of my San Francisco posts, I wanted to share a tiny selection of the diverse assortment of food available in the city of hills. I went to a great South Indian restaurant, Udupi Palace, in the Mission District that had a surprisingly wide array of actual South … Read More

After completing my detour to SanFrancisco, I returned home to Portland for Winter Break. The air smelled of victory from the recent Major League Soccer championship win by the Portland Timbers. In trademark Portland-style, the flight attendants gave priority boarding to those wearing Timbers apparel. I’m surprised by how popular Portland has become in recent years, from food to lifestyle. … Read More

I refuse to believe Winter Break is over. Thus, I will likely be reminiscing about my break for the next few posts, starting with San Francisco. This was my third visit to San Francisco, so I skipped the major touristy places and had the chance to explore other parts of the city. I think my favorite part was just walking … Read More

Graduate student installation complete. The reboot was successful and I am running in student mode again. At the beginning of the semester, I wrote about my transition from a working professional to a full-time student. Now, at the end, I can truly say the transition is complete. I was only gone from the academics arena for two years but that … Read More

Yesterday was USC’s deadline to submit the Viterbi graduate school application to be considered for merit-based scholarships. As you think about attending graduate school directly after undergrad or perhaps working first to get some experience, here are 3 pros and cons of each decision. This is based on my experience working in consulting before returning to grad school and anecdotes … Read More

There are tons of great movies in theatres or on Netflix. There are amazing restaurants and there are good people who surround us and make life a little bit easier. But if there are times you just want to curl up on the sofa with a good book and some hot chocolate, here are a few books I think would … Read More

As engineers, we often get lost in the maze of technical problems related to making something. We consider the final, functional device as our end product but how often do we consider our true end user? In biomedical engineering and the related healthcare industry, the answer to that question is complex. For example, a medical device company manufactures an EKG … Read More

The holidays are tantalizingly just out of my reach. I can’t savor them until I jump over the hurdle of finals. There are so many good ways to procrastinate, but only one really good way to do well in finals – perseverance. Here are some tips I’ve learned (whether I practice what I preach is another matter altogether) on how … Read More